


SouRin In the Summer

by KireinaAme



Category: Free!
Genre: Drabble Collection, Fluff, Humor, M/M, SouRin Summer Fest 2016, some AU, some canon compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2016-10-11
Packaged: 2018-08-08 00:53:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7736743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KireinaAme/pseuds/KireinaAme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Collection of drabbles and short one-shots dedicated to SouRin, inspired by the weekly prompts provided by SouRin Summer Fest 2K16.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. At The Beach

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by all of the weekly prompts for [SouRin Summer Fest 2K16](http://sourinsummerfest.tumblr.com/) on tumblr.

The sun beat down heavily on the sandy beaches of Iwatobi, only the salty water reaching up to Rin’s swim shorts kept his body cool. The heat of summer was only just peaking and made staying inside the house in the middle of the day a miserable experience. To the absolute pleasure of both Rin and Gou, their mother decided to take them down to the beach for a few hours on one of her rare days off from work.

And of course wherever Rin went, Sousuke followed. Or rather, Rin dragged him along. Rin knew that Sousuke didn’t mind though, despite the scowls or pouts he occasionally would receive upon first invitation. Sousuke just needed prodding and reassuring that, _of course_ , _he was invited_ and Rin’s family wouldn’t mind. 

The two young boys played in the shallow end of the ocean, under the watchful eyes of Rin’s mother and the local lifeguard. But when the sound of Sousuke’s laughter faded, Rin popped up out of the water, whipped his wet hair from his face, and called for his best friend.

“Sousuke?”

Rin’s body spun around in the shallow waves of the ocean, his wide eyes searching out for his best friend who had just been at his side. He lifted a hand to cover his eyes from the bright glare of the sun above him as he scanned the beach. When his gaze landed on the large beach blanket laid out under a wide umbrella, his mother and younger sister sat comfortably in its shade, he knew what happened to Sousuke.

_Food_ , is what happened to Sousuke.

And, just as he thought, he found the other boy sitting quietly in the hot sand next to his family’s blanket as he chewed happily on a large slice of watermelon.

“Sousuke!” Rin yelled, running up to glare at his friend. “You aren’t supposed to disappear without telling me!”

“Sorry,” Sousuke blinked, his downturned bright teal eyes heavy with guilt as he lowered the ripe slice of watermelon. “I just saw the watermelon…”

Rin huffed, knowing it was pointless considering how hot it was and how that probably made Sousuke’s hunger that much worse. Plopping down at his side and leaning over the blanket, Rin grabbed himself a slice a watermelon as well.

“Fine. Just next time we have to stick together, ok?”

Rin held the watermelon in one hand as the other reached out to Sousuke, his small fingers curled into a fist. Sousuke glanced at it before a corner of his mouth lifted in lopsided smile. Reaching out his own fist in response, they tapped their knuckles together as Sousuke answered.

“Deal.”


	2. Travel/Roadtrip

Sousuke stood amongst the throng of impatient people crowding outside the luggage area of the airport, all of them waiting for the passengers who disembarked from the recently arrived plane from Australia. The longest part of the wait for him was always the time between the landing and actually having visual sight of his boyfriend. It always created this rush of anxious adrenaline that made him fidget in his spot. An uncomfortable feeling for a person that was normally the epitome of calm and collected.

His wait was worth it however, the moment he saw Rin in the crowd of tired passengers trudging from baggage claim. He couldn’t blame them as they tiredly hauled their bags over slumped shoulders or behind them as they wheeled slowly toward the exit. They all looked more like a zombie horde than a group of people thankful to be back on solid ground after a grueling 10-hour non-stop flight from Sydney.

Rin however, no matter how drained and travel weary, somehow always managed to look _so good_. It really was just unfair to the rest of humanity how attractive his boyfriend always was, his features unable to be diluted by exhaustion. Though, Sousuke knew he was quite biased. But even with his hair in complete disarray, most of it pulled out of his ponytail probably from sleep. Even with his cheeks glowing a slight pink from the change in temperature between the plane and inside the airport. Even with a heavy jacket bundled warmly around his body, his shape completely obscured underneath.

Wait, heavy jacket?

When Rin neared him enough for Sousuke to reach his arms out, he pulled the sleepy man in close with tug on the winter jacket. A smirk stretched over Sousuke’s lips when Rin yawned and leaned his head against his chest to nuzzle into Sousuke’s shirt.

“You do know it’s summer, right? What’s with the coat, Rin?”

Rin’s voice was heavy with the vestiges of sleep as he mumbled directly into Sousuke’s chest. “It’s winter in Australia, you jerk. I had to bring it.”

Sousuke wrapped Rin in his arms to enjoy the affectionate moment while it lasted, knowing Rin would eventually wake up enough to remember they were still in public. Leaning down enough to place his nose into the other man’s soft and disheveled hair, he chuckled warmly.

“I know that. But why are you still wearing it?”

Rin groaned a bit as one hand released the small luggage he was rolling at his side to wipe the sleep from his eyes. “…was cold on the plane.”

“Well I promise you will boil alive in this heat with that jacket on.” Sousuke snuck a small, chaste kiss into the red hair before pulling Rin back just enough to unzip the jacket for him. “C’mon, let’s get this off you.”

“I just got off the plane and already you’re undressing me,” Rin chuckled softly. Crimson eyes started to look just a bit more alert as he dropped his rucksack to allow Sousuke to slip the first arm out of his jacket, Rin spinning in place to remove his other arm as well.

“It would be entirely unfair of me to take advantage of your current state,” Sousuke smiled back, folding the jacket over one arm as he slung Rin’s rucksack over his good shoulder, leaving the small luggage bag for Rin to roll.

“Yes, yes it would. If you loved me you would take me to the nearest shower first,” Rin grinned, his sharp teeth on full display, as he bumped his shoulder into his taller boyfriend. “And maybe get me something to eat too.”

“Don’t worry, I have my apartment well-stocked for your visit. I intend to completely spoil you.”

Sousuke knew his love for Rin was easy to read through his soft smile but he made no attempt to hide it. Rin had to know that Sousuke meant every word. When the redhead’s mouth softened, no longer a teasing grin but instead a sweet smile, and he nudged Sousuke gently with his knee, Sousuke was sure he did.

“Then what are we waiting for?” Rin lead the way as they stepped outside together into the early morning heat of summer in Tokyo.


	3. Outdoor Sports

Rin thought Sousuke looked so attractive it should be illegal. So much of his boyfriend’s skin was completely bare, a warm tan already set to his skin from the summer sun, as he was only clad in a pair of knee-length swim trunks. The muscles across his chest, shoulders and arms bulged and contracted deliciously as he crossed his arms. Rin would almost think this wasn’t his first time with how confident Sousuke stood, mouth drawn down into a concentrating frown and the dark sunglasses covering his eyes.

“So then you slowly stand up on the board, one foot at a time.” Rin said, raising up from his kneeling position to an upright stand. “Just make sure to keep your weight balanced in the center. Look to make sure the back and nose of the board aren’t sinking. And then you’re all set!”

Rin grinned widely from on top of his paddle board after his demonstration, the long, black carbon fiber paddle in hand.

“Rin,” Sousuke said, his grumpy voice giving Rin even more amusement. “Am I just going to be constantly tipping over?”

Well, there was a good possibility that Sousuke would tip over at least once before getting the hang of it. Grace and balance wasn’t exactly his forte. But Rin knew he was one of the most athletically gifted guys he’d ever met and would catch on fast.

“That’s why you’re wearing swim trunks!” he grinned at his boyfriend, watching as Sousuke’s grouchy expression morphed into one of defeat under the power of Rin’s excitement. “C’mon! You said you’d come paddle boarding with me!”

Sousuke sighed deeply, trying to seem very put off as he lifted his rental board, hooking the carrying strap over his good shoulder. The scowl didn’t last long though, not when Rin leaned up to kiss his cheek and whisper a ‘thank you’ before picking up his own board. Sousuke’s eyes were soft as they followed Rin to the shoreline, both wading in far enough to climb onto the boards.

In the end Sousuke fell three times. Honestly, Rin was impressed. Only the first two had anything to do with loss of balance. He really couldn’t blame him for those, the water being a little choppier than they anticipated. But the third was his favorite. There being so few people around allowed Rin open season on flirting with his boyfriend. Sending winks, blowing kisses, and making the occasional inappropriate comment turned out to have quite the effect on Sousuke, tearing his concentration away from balancing just long enough to tip over.

Even though Sousuke swam over to his board and tipped him in retaliation, the stolen kiss was worth it.


	4. Tan Lines (1)

“Your color is different,” Rin said, poking at the bare skin on Sousuke’s side before gently pinching it between his slender fingers.

Sousuke swatted his hand away as he tried to focus on the task of pulling the packed containers of food from his sports bag. Before he could even get so far as setting the plastic containers on the sandy beach, those curious fingers returned to the side of his torso to further inspect.

“What color? I’m the same as I was two days ago,” Sousuke insisted, trying to swat the hand away again and contemplating throwing his t-shirt on to stop the fondling. Only the thought of walking back home in a sopping wet t-shirt had him hesitating. Rin didn’t understand or appreciate the concept of dry clothes.

“No, you’re not,” Rin pouted. “Your color is _different_ than it was two days ago.”

With a sigh as he unpacked the last of the food, tossing his bag behind him up the beach and into dry, safe territory, Sousuke finally turned to regard his unusual friend. Rin’s mouth was pursed curiously, his eyes narrowed as he studied Sousuke’s bare skin, and the long glistening tail of his body curled and swayed almost like a cat’s tail, the tip swishing in the shallow water of the beach. Sousuke couldn’t understand Rin’s fascination with his human body when his own was so amazing and beautiful. The smooth, shimmering skin of his human-like upper-body seamlessly gave way to the thicker skin of his tail, the peachy color of his more human half darkening to a rich orangey-pink hue around his hips before gradually becoming a saturated cherry on the delicate fins at the ends of the long tail.

Those cool fingers returned to press against patches of his body, breaking him from his thoughts. The fingertips rubbed as if trying to remove something Sousuke himself couldn’t see. He was just grateful that the roaming hands stayed on his naked upper body and hadn’t again wandered lower where his ankle-length jammers covered his more sensitive areas. That had been an awkward conversation to have with the merman.

Glancing down at his torso where Rin was currently petting, Sousuke cocked a curious eyebrow. “Wait, you mean my tan?”

Sparkling crimson eyes immediately glanced up at his, looking far more interested in his words than the food Sousuke had gone through so much trouble to cook and bring to the beach, all at the special request of his friend.

“Tan?” his friend repeated, his tone inquisitive and confused. “Did you mark your body with _tan_? Is that a human custom?”

Sousuke couldn’t help it as he smiled. Spending time with the merman had become so routine, so normal, that he would often forget the true differences between them.

“No, tanning is what happens to my skin when I’m in the sun for a while. It gets darker,” Sousuke explained, wondering if just two days’ worth of sun really made enough difference for Rin to notice.

“So humans can dry out too?!” Rin cried out, pushing his arms stiff against the sand to lift his body higher, the chin-length red hair that began to dry fluttering about his worried face. “Are you ok?! We should get you in the water!”

Sousuke sputtered a bit as Rin tried to forcefully yank him closer to where the gentle waves were rolling over the bottom of his tail, a few of the food containers tipping over but staying thankfully closed.

“Rin! Rin, wait!”

The merman was stronger than he appeared. Despite the human portion of his body being slimmer and shorter than Sousuke’s, the length of Rin’s tail was made almost entirely of pure muscle. It also didn’t take long into their unlikely friendship for Sousuke to notice that when Rin wanted something, nothing would stop him.

The soft sand gave away just enough for Sousuke to slide sideways into the shallow waves. Rin worriedly hovered above him as he began to scope up handfuls of water to rub into his arms, over his shoulders, and all over his torso. The touches were a little too firm to be considered caresses but it felt pretty good anyway. It was just too bad that Rin’s beautiful face was locked in abject fear that Sousuke was somehow drying up.

When he reached out to hold Rin’s hands still on top of his chest, the fear on Rin’s face melted just enough into confusion that Sousuke could further relax into the cool water. Sousuke’s smiled softly as he stared at the beautiful creature that had been so concerned for him.

“Sousuke! This is serious!” Rin scolded, frantically tugging on his hands as he tried to free them from Sousuke’s grasp.

A deep chuckle found its way out of Sousuke’s throat. Sousuke didn’t want to let him go, lest he start trying to massage water into his seemingly dry skin again. He wasn’t sure he could keep his body from reacting in the way he knew it wanted to when Rin touched him like that.

“Don’t be a jerk!” Rin pouted, unable to pull his hands out of Sousuke’s own. “Why are you laughing?”

Sousuke’s smile was wide and unapologetic as he stared back at Rin. “I’m not going to dry out, Rin. Calm down.”

The merman’s face relaxed as those large, almond-shaped eyes blinked at him. “Then…?”

Using his one free hand, the one not holding Rin’s wandering hands prisoner against his chest still, he hooked the hem of his jammers with a thumb and just slightly pulled them further down his hip. Rin’s eyes took a moment to follow the movement but he openly gaped the obvious tan line on Sousuke’s skin.

“Human skin can get darker from being out in the sun. It’s called a _suntan_.” Sousuke released his jammers, the hem snapping against his skin as it fell back into place. “I promise I’m not drying out.”

“Oh…” Rin whispered, almost in awe. Sousuke worried for a moment that if he didn’t have Rin’s hands held captive there was a very good chance that the merman would try to strip him naked – _again_ – out of sheer curiosity.

With that added thought, everything bubbled up within Sousuke once again, laughter pouring out of his mouth unbidden. The frantic way Rin tried to rescue him, the innocent wonder at learning what a tan was, the sweet look of relief on his face that his human friend was in fact not in any danger, it was all too much. It had been so long since Sousuke felt so happy.

Rin’s mouth pursed again in obvious embarrassment, those crystalline red eyes glaring at him from the side. “You’re laughing again.”

“I was just thinking it was a good thing I didn’t put my clothes back on before you tried to save me from my tan.”

Rin’s mouth dropped open in momentary surprise, his eyes comically wide and completely affronted. But it was the gorgeous coral pink blush settled across Rin’s cheeks that Sousuke enjoyed the most. The silence only lasted a moment before Rin returned to forcefully tugging on his hands, trying to regain his freedom to probably smack Sousuke in retaliation for laughing at him. When that didn’t work and Sousuke’s laughter continued, he was graced with a barrage of curses in Rin’s native tongue that he was pretty sure he didn’t need translated to understand.


	5. Tan Lines (2)

Sousuke knew it was no secret that he loved Rin’s body. In fact, Rin often took advantage of this and only had to strut around the apartment or wiggle his ass to get Sousuke’s attention when he wanted it. Sousuke probably shouldn’t encourage him as much as he did but there was no helping it. He wasn’t going to give up the honor that was enjoying watching his boyfriend flaunt his body just to seduce him. Thankfully Sousuke had absolutely no shame left to care. He’d follow that ass anywhere and didn’t care that Rin knew damn well he would.

Which is how he found himself face down on the bed, lying half on top of his boyfriend’s prone form on their large bed. Rin’s arms pillowed under his head as he lightly dozed and selfishly enjoyed the attention Sousuke lavished all over his backside. After having thoroughly massaged and kissed Rin’s sore muscles, Sousuke scooted down to lay between Rin’s spread legs, his head and hands at the perfect position to caress, fondle, and grope the two swells of Rin’s ass cheeks.

Purposefully keeping from any action that would specifically rile the redhead up for an even _more_ intimate activity, Sousuke stuck to adoring the skin and kneading the muscles surrounding Rin’s lower back, ass, and upper thighs, his boyfriend practically a tired puddle of goo under his fingers.

Sousuke pulled down Rin’s tight’s grey boxer-briefs to lovingly kiss along his tan line from where his jammers stopped. He loved the warm glow that Rin’s skin took on under the Australian sun, even through the layers of carefully applied sunscreen. But the creamy, peachy shade of skin hidden in places that didn’t get direct sunlight was just as lovely.

As he pushed Rin’s underwear down just enough to expose all of his smooth, pale rear Sousuke returned to place a line of tender kisses from one end of the tan line to the other. He wondered to himself how much time out of the sun it would take for all of Rin’s skin to return to his naturally paler shade. Sousuke imagined it’d be quite a while. Then again, there was also the opposing idea – how much sun it would take for all of Rin’s skin to tan to the same beautiful light hue of pale gold.

Sousuke continued to ponder both scenarios, his hands gently kneading the muscles and drawing low appreciative groans from his half-conscious boyfriend. He supposed it would be much more difficult while living in Australia, especially as a professional swimmer, to keep Rin inside long enough for his tan to fade. It’d be like trying to cage a tiger. So instead Sousuke turned to the option of a full-body tan covering every inch of Rin’s skin from head to toe.

Rin tanning. Full body. Completely naked. Just for him.

He was liking this option more and more. The thought of watching those long, bare legs strut over to a lounge chair on some private beach, or maybe poolside, was mouth-watering. And then watching Rin lay down on his towel-covered chair with his ass completely and unselfconsciously exposed to the pure warmth of the sun’s direct rays as Sousuke’s eyes drank in the sight of him to their fill.

Sousuke didn’t _mean_ to get himself worked up but he couldn’t help his body’s natural reaction to those thoughts. He crossed his hands over Rin’s ass, the body beneath his limp and relaxed. Setting his chin on his hands and tilting his head to the side as he tried (and failed) to peer at Rin’s face through the curtain of disheveled red hair.

“Rin,” he called, stirring his boyfriend from what was probably a light cat nap.

The reply was quiet and drowsy, Rin’s voice just a soft rumble. “Hmm?”

“Are there any nude beaches in Australia?”

There was a long, awkward stretch of silence as he waited for an answer. It didn’t even sound like Rin was breathing anymore.

“Uggghhh, I swear to god, Sousuke,” Rin groaned, turning his face completely into the blankets below his head and removing any chance Sousuke had to spy on his expression. “Sometimes I just can’t understand what goes on in that head of yours.”

Sousuke thought he should take offense to that somehow. But with his hands still set on Rin’s plump, round ass, he couldn’t manage to feel affronted. Besides, it was a fair and honest question.

Rin rubbed his face in both hands, still averted from Sousuke’s eyes as he moaned in exasperation. “How the hell did you get to thinking of nude beaches from ‘let me give you a massage before dinner’?” Rin complained, his movements still sluggish as he fully woke up from his dozing.

“Your tan lines,” Sousuke explained, which to him made complete and total sense.

“Sousuke…” Rin glared over his shoulder, visibly fighting his amusement. Sousuke thought he was gorgeous. “You are the most non-sequitur guy I know. Seriously, Nagisa has nothing on your randomness and you just hide it behind your usual moody face so no one knows.”

The corner of Sousuke’s mouth pulled up into a smirk and he leaned down just enough to kiss at the tan line once more, Rin’s eyes following him this time. “You didn’t answer my question though.”


	6. Olympics

Nearly three weeks after leaving Japan for Rio, Rin was finally home.

For the next two weeks he had so many events and appointments lined up: photo-shoots, interviews, meetings with future sponsors, and then some. His coach told him this was his ‘vacation’ after finishing the Olympics but it didn’t much feel like one. Not that he didn’t want to show off his medals and finally reap the rewards for a decade’s worth of hard work because he certainly did. It was just that he kind of wanted a little personal time for…

 _Dammit_ , he was Matsuoka Rin. He _made_ time. Which is what found him slipping into a dark, quiet Tokyo apartment at five in the morning. He relocked the front door behind him, set his copy of the key quietly on the small table near the entry, and slipped out of his shoes.

He knew Sousuke had wanted so badly to come to Rio and watch him compete live. And Sousuke nearly had, even at the risk of dropping out of his classes at university, all for the chance to support Rin on the international stage. But as much as Rin desperately wanted him there, Rin couldn’t let him, _didn’t_ let him. Sousuke had worked so hard to find a new dream for himself that Rin would make _damn sure_ nothing would threaten his success, which a few weeks away from school certainly would do. Rin was determined to push aside his own selfishness to support Sousuke just as he always supported Rin.

Besides, they had talked on the phone and skyped every single day, usually multiple times, while they were apart. It sure beat waiting for letters. And Rin had promised, _crossed his heart_ , that he would not let Sousuke miss the next one. He’d kidnap him and lock him in Rin’s room if he had to. Of course, that would be much easier to do with the next one scheduled to be in Tokyo, Rin had said with a grin. He had insisted he would still follow-through on the kidnapping, however, if Sousuke thought he was going to get out of it. Rin was pretty sure he remembered threatening to lock the other man in his room if necessary.

It was worth it, _everything_ was worth it, just to see Sousuke smile.

Rin cracked open the bedroom door just enough to sneak through, a sliver of dim light falling across a sleeping form sprawled across the bed. He couldn’t help but smile at the familiar messy sleeping habits, having missed them for weeks. Crawling across the mattress, Rin made no attempt to be stealthy any longer. He was rewarded with a small grunt when he let his arms drop him, most of his body weight landing on top of Sousuke’s.

“Sousuke~,” he sing-songed, nuzzling his head into the other’s chin to rouse him from sleep.

“Mmmm…” Sousuke groaned in his sleep, throwing a heavy arm across Rin’s waist to pin him down and keep him still.

Chuckling, Rin’s chest shook gently against the larger man’s. Sousuke did always love his sleep. He probably didn’t even realize that Rin was actually here.

“Wake up, Sousuke,” Rin cooed again, his sharp teeth gently nipping at Sousuke’s jawline.

One tired eye opened just a crack to peer at Rin, the other refusing to budge. It was the cutest thing Rin had seen in weeks and he couldn’t help himself from placing a soft kiss to Sousuke’s mouth, pressing his smile into the other man’s face.

“I’m home,” Rin whispered.

Sousuke grunted again, finally rousing from sleep to take in the real weight of his lover on top of him, hearing a voice that no longer had to carry through a phone line. And then Rin saw him smile. He felt Sousuke’s arm tighten around his waist, the other joining as Rin was held firmly against his boyfriend’s body, trapping him in his arms. Sousuke pressed his face into Rin’s hair and placed a soft, lingering kiss into the strands.

“Mmm, welcome home,” Sousuke whispered, his voice gravelly and low from sleep that had Rin’s toes curling in happiness. “Olympic gold medalist.”

Lips pulled back into an automatic grin, Rin’s face feeling like it was stretched so tight under the pressure of his joy. It felt even better when Sousuke said it, whispered directly into his ear in the quiet, peacefulness of the dark bedroom.

Biting his lip to contain the urge giggle, Rin nuzzled against Sousuke’s cheek, dragging his lips against the very slight stubble that was starting to grow. “I have something for you.”

“Oh?”

Before Sousuke could pull back from him, Rin reached his hand inside his own shirt collar, grasping the thick ribbon hanging around his neck. He lifted it smoothly from around his head and kept going. The ribbon transferred easily from Rin to Sousuke from how their faces were nuzzled close together and Rin immediately lowered it around Sousuke’s head. It only took a second of sliding against the fabric of the pillow to fit the ribbon lower to hang around Sousuke’s neck, the large medal was heavy, pressing into Sousuke’s chest underneath Rin’s hand.

After a brief, curious touch with his fingertips, Sousuke knew immediately what it was and nearly pushed Rin off in his attempt to sit up, his arm wrapped snuggling around the other man the only thing that kept Rin from rolling off.

“Rin! It’s your-! I can’t!” Sousuke exclaimed, shaking his head fervently.

“Sousuke,” Rin whispered, cutting off his flustered words with a slow, sweet kiss to his lips.

Sousuke’s mouth was soft from sleep as he let Rin’s lips tug and press against his own. Rin licked against the inside edge of Sousuke’s bottom lip but didn’t take the kiss any further. Instead Rin kisses the corner of his mouth chastely, letting his lips linger there as his hand reached up to firmly press his medal into Sousuke’s chest, not allowing it to be removed.

“I won gold in butterfly.”

Rin had to swallow down the lump forming in his own throat, his eyes moist with unshed tears as he recalled all of the races, practices, and special coaching Sousuke provided him. All of the memories swept over him, some of them overlaid in a blur of sepia-toned images from years past. Memories of friendship started, children’s laughter, challenges accepted, and races won slowly morphed into late night swims, joint work-outs, lazy afternoons in bed watching swimming videos, and a true love ignited. Ever since they were small children, the butterfly had been _theirs_ , a piece of their hearts shared between them. The most difficult of all the strokes, the one they both set out to conquer, the one they bonded over.

_The one Sousuke himself was meant to take to the Olympics._

Suddenly Rin was bombarded with darker images, ones that clung to him like a scar of what he couldn’t undo: Sousuke clutching at his shoulder, sliding the brace into place and pulling his shirt down to conceal it, Sousuke’s face turned away from Rin to hide his pain. Despite his efforts, Rin felt a tear slide down his cheek but he refused to pull back from where he was pressed tightly against his lover. Sousuke had been with him, a part of him, when he swam the butterfly in Rio. Rin was convinced Sousuke was the reason he won.

Rin pressed his lips against Sousuke’s again to whisper directly into his skin, his voice catching. “It’s for both of us.”


	7. Matsuri/Obon

Sousuke couldn’t believe it worked. He had been so afraid that it wouldn’t. The risk was so high that he had struggled through an almost uncontrollable fear that it would destroy Rin, that it could honestly kill him. The reshaping of bone and tissue, the shifting of organs and muscle, it was still something that Sousuke’s mind regulated only to sci-fi movie and fantasy books. Even long after it was done, Sousuke could hardly believe it was _real_ , let alone successful.

Of course Rin had assured him in no uncertain terms that for him it was completely normal. Natural, even. The creatures Sousuke called mermaids (because he still had a hard time pronouncing the proper name of Rin’s kind, much to Rin’s amusement) had long been able to shed their tail for human legs for the purposes of walking amongst their land-dwelling cousins. In fact, Rin explained that if he hadn’t prematurely separated from his pod at such a young age he would have been a bonafide expert by now.  

Sousuke contemplated the ridiculousness of how, even after learning mermaids were real to begin with, he still was not able to suspend his penchant for disbelief and doubt. He couldn’t help it. Having faith in the unseen, believing in wishy-washy myths, blindly trusting… those things were never for him. And it wasn’t that he didn’t trust Rin’s word or anything. It was just that trust alone wouldn’t ensure his friend’s safety and even the smallest risk to Rin’s well-being had Sousuke regretting mentioning the festival to the merman in the first place.

“ _Don’t be a dummy, Sousuke. Just because I’ve never done it before doesn’t mean I_ can’t _do it. And I want to see my first human festival! You’re taking me and that’s that!_ ”

Rin just grinned at him, full of confidence and excitement. The mermaid was nothing if not determined, constantly out to prove Sousuke wrong or to one-up him.

Much to Sousuke’s chagrin, the merman was currently winning in their undeclared war of wills.

Besides, Sousuke couldn’t come up with a reasonable rebuttal. He had no protection against Rin’s energy, could do nothing against that smile. He was completely defenseless.

He silently thanked any and every god imaginable because it _did_ work. It worked perfectly, actually, just as Rin said it would. His redheaded, merman friend ( _though was he still a merman even without his tail?_ Sousuke wondered) was whole, healthy, and happy. None the worse for wear. The discomfort seemed to be only temporary because it didn’t take long after the morphing of a long fish tail into two human legs that Rin resumed prattling on about going to his very first festival. Rin had barely caught his breath before he was ready to try walking on his brand new legs, with not a care or worry whatsoever.

“Look, Sousuke! There’s another food stall!” Rin exclaimed, still swaying slightly on his brand new, unsteady legs.

Rin looked like any normal human. Well, normal all for the exception of his extra sharp teeth, exotic coloring, and his unparalleled beauty. (Though Sousuke confessed that last one could just be him.) Wrapped in one of his old yukata’s, which had been stuffed to the back of his closet after a single use at the behest of his family, Rin easily fit in with the rest of the crowd.

“C’mon, let’s go! I wanna try more of this land meat!”

Well, except for when he didn’t.

“Oh my god, Rin, stop calling it ‘ _land meat_.’ Just ‘meat’ is fine.”

Rin ignored the exasperation in his voice like usual and continued to pull Sousuke along behind him toward the kushiyaki stall.

“Yeah, whatever!” Rin called over his shoulder, his eager face practically glowing. “Whatever it is, I love it! I’ll never eat fish again!”

Sousuke tried to keep his façade of complete indifference in the face of Rin’s contagious joy. He didn’t think it’d be so hard. It had been years, practically since his early childhood, that he last enjoyed a festival. But when he handed over the small plate of grilled meat and Rin bounced ( _he literally bounced_ and Sousuke thought _it should be illegal for a grown man to be that cute_ ), Sousuke knew he was done for.

He watched Rin’s inhumanly sharp teeth tear a piece of meat from the skewer, his lips covered in sauce but grinning in predatory satisfaction. Sousuke was so entranced that he had barely taken a single bite of his own food when Rin’s voice cut into this thoughts.

“Sousuke, I was just thinking.” Rin licked his lips clean without conscious thought, smacking them together as he paused.

“Hm?” Sousuke prompted, raising an eyebrow as he took a bite of his own food.

“I was thinking that ‘land meat’ still makes more sense. After all, fish is also meat. So you can’t say ‘meat’ and not include fish.”

“We call that seafood.”

Rin’s eyes narrowed at Sousuke’s offered clarification. He was obviously not impressed.

“ _But why?_ Fish is also an animal. As is every creature that lives in the ocean. Its body is meat, which is eaten just the same,” Rin explained, a slight furrow appearing in his brow revealing just how serious this issue was. “So it is also ‘meat,’ yes?”

“I…”

Sousuke tried, he really did. He felt confident that if he were talking to anyone else, any other person imaginable that had him less captivated than the mysterious pseudo-human in front of him, he’d be able to call off the whole topic as useless or irrelevant – or at least have a good argument to respond with, if he felt like being contrary. But this was Rin. His curious merman friend who only ever asked questions with the purpose of seeking a serious answer, completely entrusting Sousuke to provide one.

Letting out a fond but exasperated huff, Sousuke smirked, shrugging one large shoulder. “…I have no idea.”

“Right! So humans make no sense.” Rin nodded, deciding the matter was settled.

Sousuke watched as Rin brought the last skewer of food to his mouth to finish his meal, his crimson-colored eyes scanning the rest of the unexplored half of the festival with an excited impatience. Despite knowing he was in for a long night of being dragged to every single stall or activity, Sousuke found himself oddly looking forward to it. It almost felt like a clichéd date, straight out of a manga.

_Wait, a date?_

Oh boy. Sousuke was definitely a lost cause. No hope of escape.


	8. Cold Treats

“I’m so sorry, Rin.”

That was the first thing out of Sousuke’s mouth when Rin returned from his short walk across the parking lot from the convenience story. Sousuke was a broken record. Rin was pretty sure that was the fifth apology he received since the tire blew on the highway and they had to pull over on the next exit.

Sure, this wasn’t how their first vacation together was supposed to go. And yes, Rin knew Sousuke had this planned for a while and was probably feeling disappointed.  And _of course_ , Rin agreed this trip was rather special since they had not spent much time together since he moved back to Australia. But this set back was obviously bothering Sousuke way more than it was bothering him. After all, were they not still spending time together? And didn’t they still have the entire week set aside just for each other?

“Will you knock it off with the apologies, Sousuke,” Rin groaned, a lopsided smile softening the blow of his harsh words. “It’s not like you could help getting a flat tire.”

He watched his best friend shrug, his eyes immediately falling to the ground, his head drooping.

Sousuke seemed determined to blame himself, determined to cast the whole trip off as ruined, and that was pissing Rin off. How could Rin ever hope to have the perfect atmosphere, the best opportunity, or find the right words to confess his feelings to his stubborn, brick wall of a best friend if this depressing mood continued?

“Che.”

Rolling his eyes, Rin gently nudged Sousuke’s back with his knee, trying to gain his attention once again. When the man refused to budge Rin placed a frozen popsicle, wrapped in an icy plastic wrapper, against the back of Sousuke’s neck.

“Hey!” Sousuke jumped slightly, angling his body away from the sudden chill against his sensitive skin. His glare was weak and short-lived as he caught the frozen treat in his hands. “What…?”

“Don’t worry, I have your drink too. I just figured you could use something to cool you down,” Rin explained as lowered himself down on the curb to sit next to him.

Rin unwrapped his own treat, taking a satisfying bite right off the top before glancing over at Sousuke. The other man hesitated a moment, the corners of his mouth still pulled down into what appeared to be more of a pout than a scowl at this point. He watched Sousuke’s calloused hands slowly pulled the corners of the wrapper, peeling it off the popsicle with more care than Rin himself did. Rin considered how much effort Sousuke had gone through to plan and arrange the entire week-long vacation for them. From the rental car to booking the hotel room to printing out all of the activities they could participate in, should Rin show interest in any of them.

To apologizing for an uncontrollable delay on the very first day of their trip together.

Sousuke was always so careful, so attentive, so thoughtful when it came to everything he did for him. And Rin noticed.

 _The hell_ , Rin thought, _what does it matter if this isn’t the most romantic setting?_

“Hey, Sousuke…” Rin started, watching as Sousuke took an unhurried bite of his treat as Rin slid his own back into the wrapper. “I have something I want to tell you…”


	9. My Sunshine

The large, paved walkway they had started on slowly reduced down to a smaller dirt path. The earth under Sousuke’s feet was soft enough for his heels to dig in with each step as he followed the winding path around ancient trees and temple structures. The sun radiated a comforting heat along his exposed skin and shimmered against the strands of Rin’s fiery hair. They fell into a natural companionable silence, their shoulders and elbows brushing occasionally. The pair took in the quiet stillness of the autumn scenery without interruption, having not walked by another person on their casual stroll for quite some time. But when the path started to ascend, scaling a steep hill into a more heavily wooded area, Sousuke’s attention shifted towards their unknown destination.

“Wait…” Sousuke’s feet halted suddenly, his eyes narrowed as he cursed his poor sense of direction. He glanced around at the vaguely familiar scenery, trying to place the memory of this location. Feeling his shoulders tense up and the hands he shoved into his jacket pockets clench into tight fists, he turned towards Rin, who had stopped at his side. “…Where are we going, Rin?”

“Sousuke,” Rin replied with a meaningful tilt of his head, as if disappointed. The movement swept the sun’s rays across the silky, red hair in waves, temporarily distracting Sousuke from his own question.

Rin clicked his tongue and placed a hand to his hip, bringing Sousuke back to the moment, the feisty posture in opposition to the softness in his voice. “You promised.”

That non-answer was a quick jolt to his memory, bringing back the promise he had almost forgotten he made months before. A promise made to a homesick Rin far from home, sentiments shared across a slow Skype signal, both trying to bridge the space between them with tender words and talks about their future.

Suddenly Sousuke remembered this path, these very trees, the stillness in the air, and the way Rin looked in the sunlight on this hill. He knew where they were.

Sousuke’s mouth opened in a soft ‘oh.’

Before Sousuke could respond properly he felt Rin grab onto his forearm, the closest available skin he could reach. Rin’s smile was soft, his grip firm, his eyes full of gentle understanding. But there was also a silent hopeful request, should Sousuke hesitate or reconsider.

“Please,” Rin whispered, tugging at Sousuke’s heart with the vulnerability only he got to see.

One corner of Sousuke’s mouth lifted in a smile, the arm Rin was holding onto moving to release his hand from his pocket. Before Rin could fully step away from him and misconstrue Sousuke’s shifting as withdrawal, Sousuke’s large hand took hold of Rin’s own. Their fingers intertwined as a shimmer appeared in Rin’s beautiful eyes, lit up like jewels in the sunlight.

“All right,” Sousuke answered quietly, his voice a low gruff sound filled with emotion and affection. “Let’s go ask for your father’s blessing.”


End file.
